Please check with us for further details and for other events we have lined up in additional cities.

In addition to exploring the many opportunities open to you, and how studying abroad adds to your employability, we will also look at the nitty gritty stuff such as entry procedures and financial matters.

EUNiCAS also has a stand at all of these events, so that you can talk to us on a 1:1 basis.

We look froward to meeting you soon

Bulgarian Tuition Fee Loans Now Open To UK/Irish Students

Written
on Saturday, 25 May 2019 22:43

Bulgarian Universities have confirmed to EUNiCAS that EU students, under the age of 35, can access the Bulgarian Tuition Fee Loan system.There are three banks in Bulgaria that have been authorised by the Bulgarian Ministry of Education to offer student loans.

Through this system, EUNiCAS is advised that students who have enrolled on a programme at a Bulgarian University can apply for a loan, to cover tuition fees, directly from one of these authorised banks. Apparently, it takes less than a week after the student presents the required documents for loan approval to come through. On approval, the bank transfers the tuition fee into the bank account of the relevant university. Note that annual interest rate on this loan is 7%.

It is important to note that EUNiCAS has not been in touch with any UK/Irish student in receipt of this loan but this could be because they haven’t been aware of them. EUNICAS would appreciate hearing from any UK/Irish student who has availed of this opportunity.

There are increasing numbers of UK and Irish students applying to Bulgarian universities [Medical University of Varna, Medical University of Sofia and Medical University of Pleven] to study Medicine and Dentistry. Though fees of Eur8000 pa are lower than in most other Eastern European countries, they are still beyond the means of many students. This facility could open up opportunities otherwise closed to this group of students.

Below: the city of Varna

French Universities Threatened by English Language

Written
on Saturday, 25 May 2019 22:43

The French newspaper Le Figaro reported this week that many French academics [but by no means all] and other champions of the French language are feeling threatened by a new measure, included in the Higher Education and Research [HSR] statute, that will open the way for universities to teach entire programmes through English. The HSR is due to come into force later this year.

Under legislation passed in 2000 to protect the French language, it is currently compulsory to teach university courses in French except in clearly defined cases – foreign language studies, or if the education is given by a visiting foreign academic. Examinations and thesis presentations must be in French. Some institutions manage to circumvent the rules, but they are technically breaking the law. Geneviève Fioraso, minister for higher education and research, now intends to loosen universities’ linguistic shackles.

In the hope of increasing France’s share of international students, the HSR law will allow universities to teach in in English – when courses are part of an agreement with a foreign or international institution, or part of a European programme. Fioraso said that opposition to the reform was about “a resistance to change. To attract young Indians we must offer education in English. For Koreans to get to Proust, we must go via English."

Above: Sciences Po: one of the only French Universities to currently offer an entire undergraduate programme though English

The Académie Française, constitutional guardian of the French language, issued a declaration against the “attack on the status of the French language in universities”. It wished to “draw attention to the dangers of a measure which is presented as a technical application, while in reality it promotes marginalisation of our language”.

In an opinion piece, Le Figaro claimed the new measure “was insulting to French-speaking countries and Francophiles, and especially the numerous francophone students who wished to study in France but could not because of its restrictive visa policy. Le Fiagaro also claimed it was “anti-republican because it attacked the constitutional principle that French was the language of the republic, and it was anti-democratic because it would inevitably lead to closure of certain courses in French, thus penalising French and other French-speaking students”

Half of Doctors Fail HPAT Test For Entry To Irish Medical Schools

Written
on Saturday, 25 May 2019 22:43

The Sunday Times reported this week that almost half of the Irish GPs surveyed failed to answer sample questions from an HPAT paper accurately.

The study, published in the Irish Medical Journal, also found that three out of four Irish GPs have little or no knowledge of the test. The newspaper quoted UCC's Dr Siun O’Flynn, who led the study, as saying “the profession should be aware of the mechanism used to select their colleagues”

Also quoted was Dublin GP, Julie Bressan, who dismissed the HPAT as “absolute nonsense” She commented that it had been hoped that the test “would help choose more men than women. But if women are cleverer then men, then so be it, because you need clever doctors”

This survey follows a recent report from a review team of experts in medical education on the first three years of the HPAT which revealed that many students who secured 550 Leaving Cert points or thereabouts, and had insufficient HPAT scores, accepted places in courses such as biomedical science, while attending intensive repeat courses for the HPAT. More than 85 per cent of those who repeat the exam secure a higher score on their second attempt. Many of these deserted their alternative course at the end of their first year, to take up a place in Medicine, in Ireland or further afield

The message from the report is that the HPAT system has failed. It does not, as its promoters claimed, identify the best potential doctors. Instead, it has produced a new system with the same old problem, namely, those who can afford expensive preparatory and repeat courses retain a significant advantage.

Danish Student Grants Now Open to UK/Irish Students Under Recent European Court Ruling?

Written
on Saturday, 25 May 2019 22:43

A recent ruling from the European Court of Justice has opened up the possibility of UK and Irish students being able to access the Danish system of student grants and, at the same time, has potential to throw the funding of Danish education into disarray.

Stakeholders, including Danish universities, politicians and commentators, are still trying to clarify the impact of the ruling. Per Andersen, Chairman of the Danish Student Grants Committee suggests it is too early to know what the consequences of the ECJ’s decision will be for Denmark.

However, in discussion with several Danish universities, EUNiCAS is told that the current understanding is that all EU citizens studying in Denmark, and who work 10-12 hours per week, attain the status of ‘employee’ under EU law. With this status, they are entitled to apply for grant and loan support. It also appears that the Danish government has resolved that the EU ruling will be enforced.

This ruling is likely to expose Danish taxpayers to a bill running to tens of millions of Euro. Minister of Education Morten Østergaard said the ruling would cost Danish taxpayers DKK200 million a year. “We have found measures within the budget to cater for this year’s expenses,” he told Denmark Radio. The story is only just starting to hit the Danish media with any significant populist force and is likely to prove incendiary when its implications are clear.

Aarhus University

The level of support offered to Danish students far exceeds the international average. Firstly, in Denmark, there are no tuition fees (for all Europeans) and any Dane living away from home can receive a grant of €771 per month and a loan of €394 per month for living costs. What is more, Danish graduates face one of the lowest youth unemployment rates in Europe (14%).

Though the application deadline for most undergraduate programmes in Denmark , for Entry 2013, closed last month, there are still a limited numbers of opportunities. However, we can expect a significant increase in applications to Danish universities, from UK and Irish students in 2014, if this ruling is applied as understood above.